The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures and in particular to a plumbing fixture which may be installed or removed from above the sink deck.
Plumbing fixtures include kitchen and bathroom faucets, soap dispensers, side sprayers, shower fixtures and other liquid spray devices customarily mounted on a sink deck.
In the traditional method for installing plumbing fixtures on sink decks, a substantial portion of the labor must be done in the area beneath the sink deck, which is usually small and cramped. In particular, a faucet is customarily mounted on a sink deck at the rear of a basin by fasteners installed from beneath the deck. Water tubing connects to the faucet inlets at the sink deck and to hot and cold water inlet fittings below the sink deck.
Although plumbing fixtures which are removed from the top side of the sink deck are known, they are unduly complex, expensive, difficult to install and service, and inconvenient to use. Moreover, they still often require some access to the fixture from below the sink to connect the plumbing fixture hose to a water inlet pipe and/or to collect pieces of the faucet which fall off upon its removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,574 to Johnson discloses a faucet assembly which uses a u-shaped tie bar beneath the sink deck to secure the faucet assembly to the sink. Screws connect the faucet base above the sink deck to the u-shaped tie bar below the sink deck. To remove the faucet, the screws are unscrewed to detach the faucet base from the u-shaped tie bar. The u-shaped bar drops off when the screws are removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,278 to Sauter et al. discloses a faucet assembly which uses toggle bolts to secure the faucet to the sink. The toggle bolts are received in two holes in the faucet base and corresponding holes in the sink. The wings of the toggle bolts engage the underside of the sink. To remove the faucet assembly from the sink, the toggle bolts are rotated until the wings drop off.
A need still exists for a less complicated faucet structure which can be removed from the top of the sink deck without any drop-off parts.